Process of producing cotton-seed oil.



, c. o. PHILLIPS. f

, PROCESS 0F PRDUUUING; CUTTON SEED UIL.

(Applicqtion filed Rept. 28, 1901.)

UNITED STATESl PATENT OFFICE.-

OECIL o. PIIILLIPs,`OE NEW YORK, N. Y.,AssIeNoR To TI-IE AMERICAN I COTTON OIL COMPANY, oir-NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS oF PROOUCING COTTON-SEED on..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 705,785, dated July 29, 1902.

Applicationled September 28, 19,01. JSerial No. 76,846. V(No specimens.)

borough of Manhattamin the city and State" of New York, have inventedV a new and ,use-` ful Process of Treating Cotton-Seed Meats, of

\ which the following is a specification.

, In the treatment of cotton-seeds for extracting from'them the oil which they containiit is found desirable to first remove the hulls from the seeds and to then extract the oil from the kernels or meats of the cotton-seeds which remain after the hulls are removed, as the oil is more readily pressed out from the meal obtained by grinding the seed when only the meats are used, and, furthermore, the cake obtained from the seed after pressing out the oil is of more value when itcontains no hulls. The hulls may be readily removed from the cotton-seeds by hullers, which break and raspthe hulls and liberate the meats contained therein. The hullers do not, as a rule, remove the endocarp or outer skin-e`. c., the membrane between the shell and kernel. The endocarp for the most part remains on the kernels and is disintegrated when they are passed through the Crusherrolls and reduced to a uniform meal.

The objects of my invention are to improve the quality of the oil produced from these cotton-seed meats and to increase the yield of oil.

According to the ordinary methods by which oil is obtained fromthe meats of cotton-seed the meats are first passed through Vrolls for the purpose of reducing them to a uniform meal, so that the oil may be more readily eX- pressed from them. They. are then cooked Y for a period of from fifteen to forty minutes in a steam-jacketed heater upon which a steam-pressure of from twenty to one hundred pounds is maintained, the pressure depending upon the condition of the meats and the temperature to which it is desired to subject them. This is done in order to expand the oil-cells and to permit a` freer iiow of oil than couldbe otherwise obtained when the meats are pressed, as the oil becomesmore fluid at a higher temperature and the albuminous constituentsof the meats are coagulated by the heat. However, the high tem perature to which the oil contained in the meats is subjected while being cooked has an injurious effect upon the oil, this being due ,to the presence of free fatty acids which exist intheioil and which are also induced by such high temperature. According to my improved process the cotton-seed meats are treated with an alkali, preferably in solution, such as a solution of caustic soda, before they are cooked in the ordinary heater above referred to. I have obtained good results from a solution of caustic soda of a strength ranging from 3 to 10o Baume, using two to three pounds of the solution to each one hundred pounds of cotton-seed meats. -The preliminary alkaline treatment of the meats neutralizes a large percentage of the free fatty acids, thereby improving the quality of the oil and preventing the heating to which the meats are afterward subjected from having an injurious effect upon the quality of the oil. Itis also found thata considerably larger amount of moisture can be added without injury during the process of cooking when the meats have been treated according to my process than according to the old methods, and thereby the yield of oil is increased. The action of the alkali upon the free fatty acids in the oil is such as to combine with and thereby neutralize them. The products formed by this action remain in the cake after pressing vout the oil, constituting so small a percent- In order that the solution may be most thor oughly and intimately mixed with the cottonseed meats, they are vigorously agitated while passing through the mixer, which may be done by a revolving beater. The blades or arms of the beater are preferably set so as to convey the cotton-seed meats along and through the mixer continuously. The mixer is preferably made of steel and is steam-jacketed, so that the meats can be slightly warmed during the process of mixing. l

Reference is made to the drawing accompanying this specification, which shows a sectional elevation of one form of apparatus which may beused to carry out my improved process.

In the drawing, 2 represents a mixer provided with an inlet 1 and an outlet 4. Within the mixer is the revolving beater 3, which also acts as a conveyer to convey the cottonseed meats from the inlet to the outlet, the blades or arms of the beater being set at an angle, so as to convey the meal which is being treated continuously, as well as to thoroughly agitate the same.

7 represents a tank in which the alkaline solutionistobe mixed. Thesolutionisdrawn from this tank by a pump 8 and carried up the pipe 9 to the tank or reservoir 10. The pipe 11 extends from the bottom of this reservoir, and the supply'of the solution is controlled by the valve 12. The solution descends by gravity into the horizontal pipe 13, having apertures 14, through which the alkaline solution passes, forming a spray immediately above the agitated mass of cotton-seed meats in the mixer, and the solution becomes thereby intimately and thoroughly mixed with the cotton-seed meats.

The casing of the mixer may be made of steel and steam-jacketed, as shown at 6, so

meats, treating them with a small proportion of alkali, heating them, and then expressing the oil therefrom, substantially as described.

3. The process of producing cotton-seed oil, which consists in crushing the cotton-seed meats, warming them, neutralizing the free fatty acids contained therein with a slight eX- cess of alkali, heating them to a higher temperature and then expressing the oil therefrom, substantially as described.

4. The process of producing cotton-seed oil which consists in crushing the cotton-seed meats, agitating them, subjecting them to an alkalinespray and pressing out the oil therefrom, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 27th day of September, in the year 1901.

CECIL O. PHILLIPS. In presence of D. HOLDEN, JAMES J. CosGRovE. 

